Friday, April 22, 2011

No Dogs Allowed?

The dog owners that bring their pooches over to the fenced in field on North Street were surprised to see a sign saying, "No Paws Please." The sign was put up this week to serve notice that the four-legged friends were no longer welcome to frolic with other K9s. Tori Fry Hessler from Norfolk was disappointed to see the sign. Her rescued coonhound Jack (pictured with her children Billy and Meghan) loves the open space and freedom to run with other dogs. "We just rescued Jack in early February," she said. "He had been locked in a kennel for five months. Before that who knows where he was - so to let him run at breakneck speed and play with other dogs every day is very important to me."

The grass on the field is used for organic hay and, while the dogs mainly run around, they also use the field as a bathroom. This was no longer welcome by the hay farmers that use the land. Visitors to the park have always been encouraged to pick up after their dogs, and in recent weeks someone had setup a mailbox filled with plastic bags for owners that might not have bags handy.

The owners of the land, the Wrentham Developmental Center, had not heard of the plans to bar the dogs from the field. Tony Marano, director of volunteer services and special projects at the center, said he loved seeing people from town taking advantage of the field. A meeting between the Wrentham Developmental Center and and hay farmers is scheduled for today to discuss the issue. For now the sign remains up, but Marano said people are welcome to bring their dogs over to the field at least until a resolution is reached. "I would even pay to use the park. If I knew who to plead my case to I would," Hessler said.